EMMERDALE star Jeff Hordley opened up about his life-changing health transformation after decades of struggles.
Famed for his role as the Dales bad boy Cain Dingle, actor Jeff Hordley has bravely opened up about how he completely turned his life around after battling ongoing health issues for years.
The ITV soap star, 54, shared the personal journey that helped him regain control and transform his health.
Jeff has a chronic health condition that he has been battling since his 20s, Crohn’s disease.
He has revealed how he has stayed healthy without medication, after he discussed his health during an appearance on the Another Day Another Collar podcast.
Host Steve Mann asked him about his ambassadorship for Crohn’s disease.
Jeff said: “Crohn’s; no, I’m not anymore, but I was for years because I’ve had Crohn’s since I was 24, 25, and I’ve now managed to keep it under wraps because of diet.
“We eat very much seasonally; we eat from our allotment, from definitely June through to now.
“So that’s how I’ve managed to do it and exercise and things like that. I’ve managed to avoid any medication, which not every Crohn’s sufferer manages to do, but that’s the way I’ve managed it.”
Jeff revealed that many people are often in search of “quick fixes” rather than adopting a more holistic approach to their well-being.
He explained that instead of focusing on their rest, exercise, and the food they consume, many people today turn to pills, calling it the “modern way” of dealing with health issues.
The NHS has identified Crohn’s disease as one of the two primary forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the other being ulcerative colitis.
These conditions affect over half a million individuals in the UK.
Jeff was diagnosed with Crohn’s after he sadly lost his mother, who also had the condition.
He went on to be an advocate who campaigned to raise awareness.
The Emmerdale legend also recently admitted that he’s “worried all the time” whenever there is a huge stunt on the soap.
What is Crohn's disease?
CROHN's disease is a lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed.
It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which, along with ulcerative colitis, affects almost half a million people in the UK.
Symptoms usually start in childhood, but the disease affects people of all ages. These include:
- Diarrhoea
- Stomach aches and cramps
- Blood in your poo
- Tiredness (fatigue)
- Weight loss
There is no cure, but treatment can help reduce or control symptoms.
Some people take medication to lessen inflammation in the digestive system, while others might have surgery to remove a small area.
The exact cause is unknown, but genes, problems with your immune system, smoking, stomach bugs and gut bacteria imbalances are believed to play a part.
Source: NHS
Jeff addressed fears of his character being killed off in the limo crash.
He told Metro: “When you hear that they’re doing stunts you instantly think, ‘Somebody’s going to die, somebody’s going to cop it here.’
“Or people being hospitalised, that’s the kind of thing that happens when you do sequences like this.”
Asked if the crash’s implications worried him, Jeff replied: “I’m worried all the time! Not all the time, that’s a little bit over the top.
“Every time there’s news of this it can unsettle us as a cast because we know the shelf life of characters is not forever in soaps and it’s down to the producers or the writers to steer the ship and take us in the direction they want to take us.”
Harrowing scenes that aired on Friday saw two groups set off on separate journeys across two limos.
Tensions were running high – with Caleb’s anger towards brother Cain at boiling point.
A devastating turn of events saw Caleb forced to swerve violently to avoid an oncoming truck.
Meanwhile, Charity’s limo veered dangerously after she caught sight of Noah stumbling into the road.
Chaotic moments saw passengers thrown around, glass shattering and residents crying in distress.
One of the limousines ultimately ended up being stranded on a frozen lake.
The occupants woke up to the terrifying realisation that they are balancing on dangerously thin ice.
Monday’s episode will see one villager die and THREE lives left hanging in the balance.
One villager will be pronounced dead, leaving the group devastated.
But with the limo sinking further into the icy lake, there is no time to grieve.
As they try to escape one by one, one villager plunges through the ice and into the freezing water.
Struggling to break through the ice, they fight for air – only to be met with a chilling sight beneath the surface… a dead body.
And with people still trapped in the sinking limo, who will make it out alive?
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX.
